Ukraine war until noon 9.6: The situation in Severodonetsk will decide the fate of Donbass

A Ukrainian soldier walks near a truck military Transporting tanks in the Donetsk region on June 8, reuters

Hard battle in Severodonetsk

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the evening of 8.6 said the battle for control of the provincial city of Severodonetsk Luhansk in the region Donbass is very cruel and will determine the fate of the whole region.

“This is a very fierce battle, very difficult. Perhaps it is one of the most difficult battles from the beginning of the war to date,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

see more: President Zelensky: Donbass’ fate will be decided in Severodonetsk

Soldiers Ukraine in Severodonetsk on June 8 were pushed to the outskirts of the city, but they vowed to hold out for as long as possible.

The shelling reduced the city of Severodonetsk to rubble. Luhansk Governor Serhiy Gaidai also said the city center was being destroyed.

“Our soldiers are entrenched in the industrial area of ​​Severodonetsk . But fighting is taking place not only in the industrial area, but in the city,” Mr. Gaidai said late on Tuesday.

Ukrainian forces still control the entire neighboring city of Lysychansk of Severodonetsk on the West bank of the Siverskyi Donets river. However, Mr. Gaidai said Russian forces were destroying residential buildings there.

Gaidai said Russia now controls more than 98% of Luhansk province.

Earlier, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on June 6 that the Russian army had completely “liberated” residential areas in the city of Severodonetsk.

Russia, Ukraine negotiations must be resumed

According to Reuters, Turkey on June 8 held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov aimed at restarting the stalled Ukraine peace process and seeking to reopen Ukrainian ports for grain shipments.

After the talks, Turkey said the plan proposed by the United Nations to reopen Ukraine’s ports was reasonable, but that further negotiations were needed.

During a press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusogluv after the talks, Lavrov said Ukraine would have to remove mines from its ports so that it could reopen. Foreign Minister Lavrov also said that the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky can take place only after peace talks are resumed.

Ukraine has not yet responded to these statements.

Western artillery systems help Ukraine change the situation

Governor Vitaliy Kim of Mykolaiv On June 8, the Western-supplied artillery systems had helped Ukraine make a difference on the ground and it was “only a matter of time” before its forces recapture important swathes of land in the south. male.

Kim also said Ukrainian forces had had “some success” in their counterattack in neighboring Kherson province in recent weeks. Mykolaiv is partially occupied by Russia but is still one of two regions that retain access to parts of the Black Sea.

While both Russia and Ukraine in recent weeks have focused much of their resources on the fight for control of the industrial sector in the Donbas region, the fate of Ukraine’s shoreline in Odesa and Mykolaiv is crucial to ensuring economic future of the country.

In order to achieve significant breakthroughs in the south of the country, such as taking back the Russian-controlled Kherson region above the Dnipro River, Ukraine will likely need more manpower – by unleashing its forces, Mr. Kim said. forces in the east or through the mobilization of additional forces.